Give your Japanese verbs wings using 'agaru' and 'ageru'

Situation 1: On Sunday, Mr. Okubo is baking pizza at home when his daughter asks him a question.

まり子: ねえ、ピザ、できた？

父: 今、ちょうどでき上がったところだよ。さあ、みんな を呼んできて。

Mariko: Nē, piza, dekita?

Chichi: Ima, chōdo deki-agatta tokoro da yo. Sā, minna o yonde-kite.

Mariko: Hey, is the pizza done?

Father: It’s just finished. Now, call everybody.

Today we will introduce the basic meaning of compound verbs V上(あ)がる and V上(あ)げる, with various examples. The first group of these verbs are formed when 上がる (to go up) attaches to another verb in stem form (the masu-form without ます), as in the father’s でき上がる remark. V上がる adds the implication of moving upward, as in 飛(と)び上がる (to fly up), 立ち上がる (to stand up), 浮き上がる (to rise to the surface) and 駆(か)け上がる (to run up). Example: 猫(ねこ)は飛び上がって鳥(とり)を捕(つか)まえようとした (The cat jumped up, trying to catch a bird). V上がる also adds a sense of completion to a verb related to making or creating, as in 焼(や)き上がる(to be baked), でき上がる(to be finished) as in 作品(さくひん)ができ上がりました (The product has been completed). Vあがる can also add the sense of something being to an extreme or increasing degree, as in 干(ひ)上がる(to dry up) and 晴(は)れ上がる (to clear up). Example: 雨(あめ)が降(ふ)らず、池(いけ)は干上がってしまった (Because it hadn’t rained, the pond dried up).

Okubo: The reason why our sales have fallen recently. We looked into it and a problem with product development has emerged: It’s simply taking too much time to develop new products.

Yamani: Certainly, rival companies are catching up. But our company has built up trust over the years. If we put out cheap products, in the end we’ll lose. We have excellent employees and I want them to develop products that will become long-sellers.

Okubo: Yes, you’re right, boss. [To himself:] She’s great at lifting up the employees and motivating them to work.